The gatekeeper hesitated no longer. Grumbling at those who were thoughtless enough to leave things until the very last minute and cause him extra work, he took the passes, made an entry on a piece of paper and handed the passes back. As Kernow had hoped, the man did not even glance in the direction of Esme and She-she.
Kernow hurried the two women through the gateway to the waiting ponies as the Taiping escort clattered by.
They were only just in time. As they slipped away into the darkness, Heavenly Prince Chang passed scarcely an arm’s length from them, his face turned away as protection from the driving rain.
Chapter 22
THE VOYAGE DOWNRIVER on the Trade Wind provided an opportunity for Kernow and She-she to get to know each other once more. Each had been concerned that the feelings of the other might have undergone a change.
Their fears were groundless. Two nights after the voyage began they secretly became lovers. It was then they learned their love for each other went deeper than either had dared hope.
One night, while they were still on the Yangtze river, they were called to the upper deck by Erin. They were passing an island monastery where a religious ceremony was taking place. It involved villagers from miles around on either side of the river.
Long processions of men, women and children carrying lighted torches wound down the steep hillside that linked monastery and river. The chanting of those taking part in the ceremony drifted unevenly across the water, taking its cadence from the rise and fall of the wind.
It was one of those magical moments that occur all too infrequently in life. In a bid to savour the experience for as long as possible, Kernow and She-she remained on deck long after the others had gone below, complaining of the cool wind.
Gradually the sound of chanting was left behind, although the winding torch-lit procession still snaked back and forth on the hillside.
‘They are honouring their ancestors,’ said She-she, her cheek close to Kernow’s. He stood behind her, his arms about her waist. ‘It is a very good thing to do.’
‘It’s also wonderful to savour the now,’ he whispered. ‘I can’t ever remember when I’ve been so happy, She-she.’
She pressed back against him and lifted her face to his.
‘I too am very happy.’
They stood together for a very long time until She-she suddenly shivered.
‘I’m sorry. I’m not thinking. You’re cold.’
‘No. I am not cold. I am thinking that in a few days we will reach Shanghai. What will we do there, my Kernow?’
‘Let’s not worry about that until we go ashore at Shanghai. I don’t want anything to spoil the few days we have left on Erin’s ship.’
‘I am not worrying. I will be very happy with you while we are on the ship, but I want to know what you are thinking.’
‘Esme has told me about the problems you had in Shanghai before, and of the kindness shown to you by Colin Strachan and his Chinese wife. I’d like to speak to them and see if they will take you in again – and allow me to stay there too.’
‘Did you tell Esme this?’ She-she swung around to face him in the darkness.
‘No. I have a feeling she’s turning a deliberate blind eye to what we’re doing on board ship, but she couldn’t condone us living together. Especially not in a place like Shanghai.’
‘But you will not be able to stay with me for always. One day your admiral will send for you and you will have to go and fight somewhere.’
‘I might. On the other hand I might leave the Marines….’
Turning to him swiftly, She-she reached up and touched his lips with her fingers. ‘You must not say that. I will not let you. You are a captain now. Esme says you must be brave man to be made a captain after a battle. One day you will be a most important officer. I will be very proud and tell my friends, “I knew that very important man. Once I knew truly that he loved me.”’
‘That’s not going to change, She-she. I promise you.’
‘Perhaps. Perhaps not.’ She-she was silent for a long time before she said, ‘You are right, we should not talk of the future for the time we are on this ship. We will enjoy each day, each hour. Not worry about the next one.’
She took hold of his hand. ‘Come. We will go to your cabin now. I am cold. I want you to warm me….’
The arrival of missionary Esme Pilkington at the Shanghai foreign settlement, fresh from the Taiping capital of Nanking, caused the biggest stir the community had known for very many years. Not only had she lived and preached in the Taiping capital, she had actually lived in the palace of the self-styled ‘Heavenly King’. Had regularly conversed with the rebel leader!
For the first time there was someone in the community able to speak with first-hand knowledge of the absurd pretensions of Hung Hsiu-ch’uan.
The missionary-authorities believed Esme would give them ammunition to support their oft-repeated claims that the Taiping leader was mentally unbalanced. Indeed, she had suffered a period of imprisonment at his hands, actually being chained in her cell!
At first, it seemed Esme would confirm all their worst fears of the Taiping movement. She had brought with her many of the Tien Wang’s proclamations and decrees, written on silk in bold brush-strokes by the leader himself.
Scholarly missionaries pored over Hung Hsiu-ch’uan’s writings, pointing scornfully to his pretensions and stated beliefs. Here was proof beyond all reasonable doubt that the Taiping leader was indeed insane.
Their case suffered a temporary setback when Esme was invited to give a talk about her experiences at the hands of the Taipings.
The talk was given in the settlement-church, the building packed to capacity for the occasion.
There were many nodding heads when Esme confirmed that the ‘Heavenly King’s so-called idea of Christianity did not conform to that preached by the Western churches. However, there was a murmur of protest when she spoke scathingly of the British government. The protests grew when she criticised the missionary societies who had failed to grasp what she fervently believed to be an awesome and unique opportunity. Had they offered a hand of friendship to Hung Hsiu-ch’uan it might have proved possible to guide him along Christian pathways. With courage and imagination they might have brought millions of heathen people to God.
Neither the British government, as represented by the Shanghai consular officials, nor the mission authorities, were prepared to blame themselves for missed opportunities in their dealings with the Taipings. Esme was not asked to speak publicly again. Nevertheless, some of the non-conformist missionaries privately agreed with much of what she said. Esme’s words had not all fallen on deaf ears.
With the attention of the European settlement firmly focused upon Esme, Kernow was able quietly to install She-she in the house occupied by the Strachan family in the French settlement. He moved in here too. His move meant he was ostracised by certain members of the missionary societies, but for as long as his relationship with She-she remained discreet no great degree of censure was levelled at him.
Men stationed in India and the Far East frequently took mistresses from among the native peoples. It was an accepted fact of life. As long as such women were not openly flaunted in ‘decent’ society, such relationships were given a metaphorical wink and a nod.
The only person to whom Kernow openly admitted the relationship was Sally Merrill.
He explained it to her when he went to the American consulate to collect his uniform and ask if he might leave some of his possessions here.
After listening to him in silence, Sally asked, ‘Are you quite sure of what you’re doing, Kernow?’
‘I’ve never been more certain of anything.’
‘It must be wonderful to feel so sure of a relationship.’ Sally spoke almost wistfully.
‘Aren’t you? I mean, aren’t you certain about you and Caleb?’
‘Sometimes. At other times I wish he would do something like you’ve just done. Suddenly arrive and whisk me off because he
just couldn’t bear to live without me. Instead, he’ll say we must be “sensible”. Wait until we return to the United States before getting married – because it’s what our families want.’
‘He’s thinking of your future as much as his own, Sally.’
‘I know that, and most of the time I realise it’s the right way for both of us. But I wish he’d do something reckless once in a while – just for me.’
‘Caleb might do something to surprise you one day, Sally. He’s a good man.’
‘I know he’s good. I just wish he wasn’t too damned good, that’s all. Will you let me meet your She-she sometime, Kernow?’
‘Of course.’
‘Then I wish you both all the happiness in the world. You can count on my help if it’s ever needed.’
She-she had a good friend in Nan Strachan. The Chinese woman had lived for many years with all the problems that now beset her countrywoman. She had a great many answers to the doubts She-she felt on Kernow’s behalf.
‘There are many difficulties for both the man and the woman when she is Chinese and he is English. It needs more love than usual if they are to be happy together.’
‘You and Colin have had problems?’
‘Of course. That’s why we’re living here and not in the British settlement, even though we were married properly, in a church. Colin lost his work because he married me instead of keeping me as his mistress, as the others do.’
‘As Kernow is keeping me?’ She-she spoke defensively. She had told Kernow she was happy being his mistress for as long as he wished, yet she was surprisingly sensitive on the subject.
‘No, not like you and Kernow. He loves you and will marry you one day. You will always be happy with him. Those who know real unhappiness are mistresses who delude themselves into believing their relationship will last forever.’
‘I don’t want him to marry me if it means he must leave the Royal Marines. He is a clever officer. Very brave. One day he will be an important man.’
It was something She-she repeated to herself every day and it came out now parrot fashion.
‘For some men, those who really matter, there are more important things in their lives than work. It is especially true of those who have most to give.’
Nan’s youngest child came in crying, holding up a hand which had the minutest graze on the palm. Nan swung the child up in her arms and kissed the graze better before resuming her talk to She-she, over the head of the child who had now stopped crying.
‘You are lucky, She-she, as I am lucky. We have both found men who would be special whatever country they came from. You will find much happiness in each other’s company. There will be those who will point a finger at you and say what you do is wrong. But they will be the ones who hurt inside most when they see you laughing together and enjoying what they will probably never have.’
Nan placed the baby on the ground once more and the child ran outside.
‘Most couples plan for the future. Maybe they waste too much time that way. Such a way of life is not for you or me. If you wish to be happy you will not look to tomorrow. You must learn to enjoy today as though it is all you have. All you will ever have.’
Chapter 23
KERNOW AND SHE-SHE both knew that the happiness they experienced while staying with the family of Colin and Nan Strachan could not last forever. However, they had hoped to have at least a few weeks together. Instead, they were able to snatch no more than six days and nights.
It was still early in the morning when Kernow rose from bed on the seventh day and threw open the shutters. His gasp of surprise brought She-she sitting bolt upright immediately.
‘What is it?’
When he did not reply immediately she rose from the bed, slipped a loose silk gown over her shoulders and crossed the room to stand beside him.
Off the shore, tugging against the tide in the Foreign anchorage, was a vast fleet. There were warships of all sizes, steam-driven and wind-powered, and troop transports. Enough ships to carry ten thousand men with all their horses, guns and equipment.
It was a very impressive sight and She-she’s eyes were wide with both wonder and alarm as she turned to Kernow. ‘Why are they here? What is happening?’
‘I don’t know for certain, but I’d say those ships are carrying the army that’s going to fight its way to Peking. Admiral Hope is out there too. That’s his flag flying on the large warship, closest to shore. I must go to the American consulate, She-she. That’s where Admiral Hope will expect to find me. He may have already sent for me.’
Try as she might, She-she could not hide the fear that suddenly gripped her. ‘Will you … come back?’
‘I’ll come back to you, She-she. Whatever happens, I’ll come back to you.’
‘Then I can wait. No matter how long. I will remember this time together and stay happy just thinking of you.
It was a pretence that She-she was able to keep up even while she adjusted the silk sash that meant much to both of them, over the shoulder of his uniform. It deserted her when she waved to him as he limped away towards the British settlement and the United States consulate beyond.
When he passed from view, She-she returned to the room she had shared with Kernow for such a short time. When Nan found her she was hunched on the rumpled bed, weeping as though her heart was breaking.
Kernow did not go on to the United States consulate immediately. Early though it was, Admiral Sir James Hope was already ashore. He was at the British consulate and the whole place was the scene of great activity. There was so much coming and going that Kernow realised something important was happening and altered course to call here first.
He found the admiral in a jovial mood. When he caught sight of Kernow entering the room he broke off the conversation he was having with a naval commander and greeted the young Royal Marine warmly.
‘Here you are at last, Keats. I sent to the American consulate for you as soon as we came ashore in the night, but they said you weren’t there. Had me worried after all I’d heard about you. I was beginning to fear you’d gone native.’
Seemingly unaware of Kernow’s guilty start, the admiral continued, ‘I see you’ve still got a limp, but it can’t be too bad. The consul was telling me he’s been kept busy piecing together details of your exploits. Gave me some story of you making your way to Nanking and bringing that missionary woman back to Shanghai! It’s more than she deserves if all I’ve heard of her is true. It would have served her right if she’d been left there and forgotten. But it was a damned good effort on your part. In the best tradition of the Navy, and all that.’
Kernow managed to hide a smile as he remembered the first time he had met with Admiral Hope and been scornfully dismissed as a ‘soldier’.
‘I must say, it’s the sort of conduct I’ve come to expect from you, my boy. Pity about that limp of yours, but I’ve known officers on the active list with far worse. I’ve still got a piece of Chinese metal in me from the Pei-ho forts. The damned surgeon couldn’t find it, but when we get a bit of cold weather I could tell him exactly where it is. Feel like cutting it out myself sometimes.’
Kernow murmured a few words of sympathy, but the admiral cut him short.
‘I’m glad to see you fit for duty again. There’s something going on I know you wouldn’t want to miss. The government back home in England has finally made a formal declaration of war with China and sent Lord Elgin out here again. He’s on board my flagship. His Lordship asked after you as soon as he arrived in Hong Kong. Seems he and my predecessor talked about you at some length when they met up in London. Sir Michael even travelled down to Cornwall to congratulate your father on having such a fine son. But Lord Elgin will be able to tell you all about that. He’s requested that you be included on his staff to go to Peking. That’s where we’re heading, my boy, to the Chinese capital. We’ll both have a chance to pay back the Emperor for these wounds of ours.’
The admiral had been talking to Kernow since the Royal Marin
e officer entered the room. Now he turned back to the somewhat disgruntled naval commander and included him in his conversation.
‘His Lordship intends taking Peking, having the Imperial authorities sign the treaty, and taking himself off home again by Christmas. He’s brought a soldier with him, General Sir Hope Grant – no relation, I hasten to add. We’ve had only sailors in our family for a hundred and fifty years. But Grant’s been put in charge of the land operations. I’ve spoken to him a few times. Bit of a rough diamond, but by all accounts a first-class soldier – whatever that means. Can’t see why the War Office didn’t put a sailor in charge, but they never have been noted for sound common sense.’
Switching his attention to Kernow once more, the admiral asked, ‘Can you settle up your affairs and be on board by sunset, Captain Keats? I hope to sail first thing in the morning.’
‘Of course, sir. I don’t have a great deal to pack.’
‘Good. You’ll see history made this trip, my boy. We’re going to open up China for the rest of the world.’
Kernow went to the United States consulate before returning to She-she. He had a few belongings to collect.
Sally was at home and stood in his room, leaning against a wall, as he stuffed clothing inside a small canvas kitbag.
‘Have you said goodbye to your She-she yet?’
‘No. I’m going to see her now.’
‘What will she do while you’re away?’
‘Stay with Strachan and his wife. They’re good people, they’ll look after her.’
‘Will you take me to meet her, Kernow?’
He looked up, startled. ‘Why?’
‘Damn it, Kernow, there are times when I could punch you right on the nose. We’re friends. Where I come from friends get involved in each other’s lives – because they care.’
Kernow was about to protest but she waved him to silence. ‘I’m engaged to Caleb and we’ll be married some day. I want to marry him, but that doesn’t prevent me from being fond of you. I’d like to meet She-she because I think I could become fond of her too. I’ll visit her while you’re away. I’d enjoy doing that, honest.’
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